Preventive services for adolescents: Exploring the process of change

TY - JOUR

T1 - Preventive services for adolescents: Exploring the process of change

AU - Biehal, Nina

PY - 2008/4

Y1 - 2008/4

N2 - This paper reports on a quasi-experimental study which compared outcomes for young people referred to specialist family support teams with those for others referred to mainstream social work teams. Although there was no evidence that the specialist service was more effective in promoting changes in child and family functioning, nevertheless, many young people in both groups showed improvement in this respect. This paper explores how, why and in what circumstances these positive changes occurred. The factors which moderated or mediated the effectiveness of interventions included both risk and protective factors for emotional and behavioural problems and aspects of the interventions themselves. The paper explores the mechanisms whereby these factors interacted to help or hinder workers' efforts to promote change. Child and family attributes and histories, the duration of child and family difficulties, motivation and optimism all moderated the impact of interventions, making change more, or less, likely to occur. Aspects of the interventions themselves also mediated their effectiveness, such as their ecological approach, the strategies used to change child behaviour and parenting style and the development of a therapeutic alliance. These moderators and mediators of change had a stronger impact on the outcome of interventions than differences in service type.

AB - This paper reports on a quasi-experimental study which compared outcomes for young people referred to specialist family support teams with those for others referred to mainstream social work teams. Although there was no evidence that the specialist service was more effective in promoting changes in child and family functioning, nevertheless, many young people in both groups showed improvement in this respect. This paper explores how, why and in what circumstances these positive changes occurred. The factors which moderated or mediated the effectiveness of interventions included both risk and protective factors for emotional and behavioural problems and aspects of the interventions themselves. The paper explores the mechanisms whereby these factors interacted to help or hinder workers' efforts to promote change. Child and family attributes and histories, the duration of child and family difficulties, motivation and optimism all moderated the impact of interventions, making change more, or less, likely to occur. Aspects of the interventions themselves also mediated their effectiveness, such as their ecological approach, the strategies used to change child behaviour and parenting style and the development of a therapeutic alliance. These moderators and mediators of change had a stronger impact on the outcome of interventions than differences in service type.

KW - adolescents

KW - family support

KW - family preservation

KW - prevention

KW - motivation

KW - therapeutic alliance

KW - CHILD-WELFARE

KW - RISK

KW - DEPRESSION

KW - VARIABLES

KW - ALLIANCE

KW - OUTCOMES

KW - THERAPY

KW - NEGLECT

KW - ABUSE

KW - CARE

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=52449098921&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1093/bjsw/bcl352

DO - 10.1093/bjsw/bcl352

M3 - Article

VL - 38

SP - 444

EP - 461

JO - British Journal of Social Work

JF - British Journal of Social Work

IS - 3

ER -